The Issues

Lawmakers across the country are introducing and passing legislation aimed at denying queer and trans young people access to healthcare and the ability to fully participate in public life. Moreover, these harmful policies are crafted to alienate these young people and obliterate their systems of support. Healthcare providers, parents, teachers, and other supportive adults are being criminalized and face the threat of losing their licenses, jobs, or custody rights. These attacks, coupled with transphobic and anti-queer rhetoric, create a hostile and unsafe environment that also infringes on young people’s autonomy and privacy. However, young people 18-30 years old primarily believe that politicians should not focus on these issues, and further, should do more to protect the rights of trans people.¹³ It’s critical that lawmakers repeal laws that only serve to discriminate and stigmatize and enact evidence-based policies that support and prioritize the health, safety, and needs of transgender, intersex, and queer young people. This type of approach is rooted in science and has the support of major medical organizations like the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

We need policies that:

• Provide access to gender affirming care
• Expand gender markers and ensure LGBTQIA+ inclusive forms
• Support LGBTQIA+ young people’s participation in sports